Wallace was born and raised in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. His debut album Ready to Die (1994) made him a central figure in East Coast hip hop and increased New York City's visibility in the genre at a time when West Coast hip hop dominated the mainstream. The following year, he led Junior M.A.F.I.A.—a protégé group composed of his childhood friends—to chart success. In 1996, while recording his second album, Wallace was heavily involved in the growing East Coast–West Coast hip hop feud. On March 9, 1997, he was murdered by an unknown assailant in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles. His second album, Life After Death (1997), released two weeks later, rose to No. 1 on the U.S. album charts. In 2000, it became one of the few hip-hop albums to be certified Diamond.
Wallace was noted for his "loose, easy flow"; dark, semi-autobiographical lyrics; and storytelling abilities, which focused on crime and hardship. Three more albums have been released since his death, and he has certified sales of over 17 million records in the United States, including 13.4 million albums.
Wallace was born at St. Mary's Hospital in the Brooklyn borough of New York City on May 21, 1972, the only child of Jamaican immigrant parents. His mother, Voletta Wallace, was a preschool teacher, while his father, Selwyn George Latore, was a welder and politician. His father left the family when Wallace was two years old, and his mother worked two jobs while raising him. Wallace grew up at 226 St. James Place in Brooklyn's Clinton Hill, near the border with Bedford-Stuyvesant. Wallace excelled at Queen of All Saints Middle School winning several awards as an English student. He was nicknamed "Big" because he was overweight by the age of 10. Wallace said he started dealing drugs when he was around the age of 12. His mother, often away at work, did not know of his drug dealing until he was an adult. He began rapping as a teenager, entertaining people on the streets, and performed with local groups the Old Gold Brothers and the Techniques. At his request, Wallace transferred from Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School to George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School, where future rappers DMX, Jay-Z, and Busta Rhymes were also attending. According to his mother, Wallace was still a good student but developed a "smart-ass" attitude at the new school. At age 17, Wallace dropped out of school and became more involved in crime. In 1989, he was arrested on weapons charges in Brooklyn and sentenced to five years' probation. In 1990, he was arrested on a violation of his probation. A year later, Wallace was arrested in North Carolina for dealing crack cocaine. He spent nine months in jail before making bail.
Wallace's lyrical topics and themes included mafioso tales ("Niggas Bleed"), his drug-dealing past ("10 Crack Commandments"), materialistic bragging ("Hypnotize"), as well as humor ("Just Playing (Dreams)"), and romance ("Me & My Bitch"). Rolling Stone named Wallace in 2004 as "one of the few young male songwriters in any pop style writing credible love songs".
Guerilla Black, in the book How to Rap, describes how Wallace was able to both "glorify the upper echelon" and "[make] you feel his struggle". According to Touré of The New York Times in 1994, Wallace's lyrics " autobiographical details about crime and violence with emotional honesty". Marriott of The New York Times (in 1997) believed his lyrics were not strictly autobiographical and wrote he "had a knack for exaggeration that increased sales". Wallace described his debut as "a big pie, with each slice indicating a different point in my life involving bitches and niggaz... from the beginning to the end".
Ready to Die is described by Rolling Stone as a contrast of "bleak" street visions and being "full of high-spirited fun, bringing the pleasure principle back to hip-hop". AllMusic write of "a sense of doom" in some of his songs and the NY Times note some being "laced with paranoia"; Wallace described himself as feeling "broke and depressed" when he made his debut. The final song on the album, "Suicidal Thoughts", featured Wallace contemplating suicide and concluded with him committing the act.
On Life After Death, Wallace's lyrics went "deeper". Krims explains how upbeat, dance-oriented tracks (which featured less heavily on his debut) alternate with "reality rap" songs on the record and suggests that he was "going pimp" through some of the lyrical topics of the former. XXL magazine wrote that Wallace "revamped his image" through the portrayal of himself between the albums, going from "midlevel hustler" on his debut to "drug lord".
AllMusic wrote that the success of Ready to Die is "mostly due to Wallace's skill as a storyteller"; in 1994, Rolling Stone described Wallace's ability in this technique as painting "a sonic picture so vibrant that you're transported right to the scene". On Life After Death, Wallace notably demonstrated this skill on "I Got a Story to Tell", creating a story as a rap for the first half of the song and then retelling the same story "for his boys" in conversation form.
Considered one of the best rappers of all time, Wallace was described by AllMusic as "the savior of East Coast hip-hop". The Source magazine named Wallace the greatest rapper of all time in its 150th issue in 2002. In 2003, when XXL magazine asked several hip hop artists to list their five favorite MCs, Wallace's name appeared on more rappers' lists than anyone else. In 2006, MTV ranked him at No. 3 on their list of The Greatest MCs of All Time, calling him possibly "the most skillful ever on the mic". Editors of About.com ranked him No. 3 on their list of the Top 50 MCs of Our Time (1987–2007). In 2012, The Source ranked him No. 3 on their list of the Top 50 Lyrical Leaders of all time. Rolling Stone has referred to him as the "greatest rapper that ever lived". In 2015, Billboard named Wallace as the greatest rapper of all time.
Since his death, Wallace's lyrics have been sampled and quoted by a variety of hip hop, R&B and pop artists including Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Alicia Keys, Fat Joe, Nelly, Ja Rule, Eminem, Lil Wayne, Game, Clinton Sparks, Michael Jackson and Usher. On August 28, 2005, at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, Sean Combs (then using the rap alias "P. Diddy") and Snoop Dogg paid tribute to Wallace: an orchestra played while the vocals from "Juicy" and "Warning" played on the arena speakers. In September 2005, VH1 held its second annual "Hip Hop Honors", with a tribute to Wallace headlining the show.
Wallace had begun to promote a clothing line called Brooklyn Mint, which was to produce plus-sized clothing but fell dormant after he died. In 2004, his managers, Mark Pitts and Wayne Barrow, launched the clothing line, with help from Jay-Z, selling T-shirts with images of Wallace on them. A portion of the proceeds go to the Christopher Wallace Foundation and to Jay-Z's Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation. In 2005, Voletta Wallace hired branding and licensing agency Wicked Cow Entertainment to guide the estate's licensing efforts. Wallace-branded products on the market include action figures, blankets, and cell phone content.
The Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation holds an annual black-tie dinner ("B.I.G. Night Out") to raise funds for children's school equipment and to honor Wallace's memory. For this particular event, because it is a children's schools' charity, "B.I.G." is also said to stand for "Books Instead of Guns".
There is a large portrait mural of Wallace as Mao Zedong on Fulton Street in Brooklyn a half-mile west from Wallace's old block. A fan petitioned to have the corner of Fulton Street and St. James Place, near Wallace's childhood home renamed in his honor, garnering support from local businesses and attracting more than 560 signatures.
A large portrait of Wallace features prominently in the Netflix series Luke Cage, due to the fact that he served as muse for the creation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's version of Marvel Comics character Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes.
Who Shot Ya?
The Notorious B.I.G. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To give you what you need
'95, motherfuckers
Get live, motherfuckers
As we proceed
To give you what you need
'95, motherfuckers
Get live, motherfuckers
Turn that mic up, yeah
That beat is knockin', I need that mic up though (to give you what you need)
Turn that shit the fuck up (East Coast, motherfuckers)
Uh, what? (Bad Boy, motherfuckers)
Turn it up louder
Yeah, uh
As we proceed to give you
What you need
J.M., motherfuckers
J.M., motherfuckers (uh)
'95, motherfuckers (woo)
Uh
Who shot ya? (uh)
Separate the weak from the obsolete
Hard to creep them Brooklyn streets
It's on nigga, fuck all that bickering beef
I can hear sweat trickling down your cheek (woo)
Your heartbeat sound like Sasquatch feet
Thundering, shaking the concrete
Finish it, stop, when I foil the plot
Neighbors call the cops said they heard mad shots (uh)
Saw me in the drop, three and a quarter
Slaughter, electrical tape around your daughter
Old school, new school need to learn though
I burn, baby, burn like Disco Inferno (burn, baby, burn, what?)
Burn slow like blunts with yayo
Peel more skins than Idaho potato
Niggas know, the lyricla molestin' is takin' place
Fuckin' with B.I.G. it ain't safe (uh)
I make your skin chafe, rashes on the masses
Bumps and bruises, blunts and Land Cruisers
Big Poppa smash fools, bash fools (uh)
Niggas mad because I know that cash rules
Everything around me two Glock 9's
Any motherfucker whispering about mines (and I'm)
And I'm Crooklyn's finest (uh)
You rewind this, Bad Boy's behind this
As we proceed (what?)
To give you what you need
'95, motherfuckers (what? Uh)
Get live, motherfuckers
As we proceed (what? Uh)
To give you what you need
East Coast, motherfuckers
Bad Boy, motherfuckers
Get high, motherfuckers
Get high, motherfuckers (uh, uh)
Smoke blunts, motherfuckers (uh)
Get high, motherfuckers ('95, uh)
Ready to die, motherfuckers (uh)
'95, motherfuckers (uh)
I seen the light excite all the freaks (uh)
Stack mad chips, spread love with my peeps
Niggas wanna creep, got to watch my back
Think the Cognac and Indo sack make me slack?
I switches all that, cocksucker G's up (uh)
One false move, get Swiss cheesed up
Clip to TEC, respect, I demand it
Slip and break the 11th Commandment
Thou shalt not fuck with nor see Poppa
Feel a thousand deaths when I drop ya (uh)
I feel for you, like Chaka Khan I'm the don
Pussy when I want, Rolex on the arm
You'll die slow but calm
Recognize my face (uh), so there won't be no mistake
So you know where to tell Jake, lame nigga
Brave nigga, turned front page nigga
Puff Daddy flips daily (uh)
I smoke the blunts he sips on the Baileys
On the rocks, tote Glocks at christenings
Hammer cock, in the fire position and, what?
Get live, motherfuckers
Ready to die, motherfuckers
Come here, come here (what?)
Open your fucking mouth, open your (it ain't gotta be like that B.I.G., oh)
Didn't I tell you don't fuck with me? Huh?
Didn't I tell you not to fuck with me? (as we proceed)
Huh? Look at you now (to give you what you need)
Huh?
Can't talk with a gun in your mouth huh? ('95, motherfuckers)
Bitch-ass nigga, what? (get live, motherfuckers)
(Get live, motherfuckers)
As we proceed (who shot ya?)
To give you what you need
'95, motherfuckers
Get live, motherfuckers
Get high, motherfuckers (who shot ya?)
Ready to die, motherfuckers
As we proceed (who shot ya?)
To give you what you need
'95, motherfuckers
East Coast, motherfuckers
(Who shot ya?)
West Coast, motherfuckers (us)
West Coast, motherfuckers
As we proceed
To give you what you need
As we proceed (as we proceed)
To give you what you need (to give you what you need)
Get live, motherfuckers
Get live, motherfuckers (get live, motherfuckers)
'95, motherfuckers ('95, motherfuckers)
Get money, motherfuckers (get money, motherfuckers)
(as we proceed) as we proceed
To give you what you need (to give you what you need)
'95, motherfuckers
Get live, motherfuckers (get live, motherfuckers)
'95, motherfuckers (yeah)
J.M., motherfuckers
J.M., motherfuckers
As we proceed
To give you what you need
('95)
The lyrics of Who Shot Ya by The Notorious B.I.G. are both aggressive and introspective. The song is essentially a diss track, insinuating that the rapper is superior to his opponents in every aspect - money, fame, skill, and sheer strength. The hook is aggressive, posing the question "Who Shot Ya?" in a booming tone that reflects the rapper's air of superiority. The verses then go on to reinforce his power, describing his prowess on the streets of Brooklyn and the fear he inspires in his enemies. He brags about being Brooklyn's finest, stating that he is a combination of old-school and new-school; experienced yet fresh, and warns anyone who dares to challenge him that they will face consequences.
As the song progresses, the rapper becomes ever more menacing, describing his victims' sweat, heartbeat, and death throes. He boasts of his wealth, with references to "mad chips" and the luxurious Rolex watch on his arm. He also references the pantheon of musical icons, invoking Chaka Khan and Disco Inferno. The song is notable for its dark and ominous tone, reflecting the danger and violence that pervaded the hip-hop scene at the time.
Line by Line Meaning
As we proceed to give you what you need
As we continue to provide you with what you desire
'95, motherfuckers
In the year 1995, my fellow individuals
Get live, motherfuckers
Become lively and energetic, my fellow individuals
Now turn the mics up
Increase the volume of the microphones
Turn that mic up, yeah
Raise the volume of that microphone, yes
That beat is knockin', I need that mic up though
The rhythm is powerful, I require the microphone to be louder
Turn that shit the fuck up
Significantly amplify the sound
Uh, what?
Expression of surprise or confusion
Turn it up louder
Increase the volume even more
As we proceed to give you
While we continue to offer
J.M., motherfuckers
Representing myself, motherfuckers
'95, motherfuckers (woo)
In the year 1995, my fellow individuals (expressing enthusiasm)
Who shot ya?
Who was responsible for shooting at you?
Separate the weak from the obsolete
Distinguish the vulnerable from the outdated
Hard to creep them Brooklyn streets
Difficult to move stealthily through the streets of Brooklyn
It's on nigga, fuck all that bickering beef
It's serious now, ignore all the petty conflicts
I can hear sweat trickling down your cheek (woo)
I can hear the fear and anxiety in your voice
Your heartbeat sound like Sasquatch feet
Your heartbeat is pounding heavily, akin to the loud footsteps of Sasquatch
Thundering, shaking the concrete
Powerful and causing vibrations in the concrete
Finish it, stop, when I foil the plot
Put an end to it and halt their plan when I intervene
Neighbors call the cops said they heard mad shots (uh)
Residents contacted the police reporting multiple gunshots (expression of surprise)
Saw me in the drop, three and a quarter
Observed me in the expensive convertible car, a 325i model
Slaughter, electrical tape around your daughter
I will harm and kill, using electrical tape to restrain your daughter
Old school, new school need to learn though
Both the older and younger generations must acquire knowledge
I burn, baby, burn like Disco Inferno (burn, baby, burn, what?)
I ignite and cause destruction, just like the raging fire in Disco Inferno (a song reference)
Burn slow like blunts with yayo
Slowly consume drugs like marijuana cigarettes mixed with cocaine
Peel more skins than Idaho potato
Remove more layers of protection than an Idaho potato skin
Niggas know, the lyrical molestin' is takin' place
People are aware that I am dominating and overpowering lyrically
Fuckin' with B.I.G. it ain't safe (uh)
Engaging with B.I.G. is dangerous (expression of surprise)
I make your skin chafe, rashes on the masses
I cause irritation and discomfort, affecting a large number of people
Bumps and bruises, blunts and Land Cruisers
Injuries and damage, marijuana cigarettes and luxury SUVs
Big Poppa smash fools, bash fools (uh)
Big Poppa defeats and destroys foolish individuals (expression of surprise)
Niggas mad because I know that cash rules
People are angry because I understand the importance of money
Everything around me two Glock 9's
Everything I encounter involves having two Glock 9mm handguns
Any motherfucker whispering about mines (and I'm)
Anyone who talks secretly about my possessions (and I am)
And I'm Crooklyn's finest (uh)
And I represent the best of Brooklyn (expression of surprise)
You rewind this, Bad Boy's behind this
You play this song again, Bad Boy Entertainment is responsible for its creation
Get high, motherfuckers
Become intoxicated, my fellow individuals
Smoke blunts, motherfuckers
Inhale marijuana cigarettes, my fellow individuals
Get high, motherfuckers ('95, uh)
Become intoxicated, my fellow individuals (in the year 1995, expression of enthusiasm)
Ready to die, motherfuckers (uh)
Prepared to face death, my fellow individuals (expression of surprise)
I seen the light excite all the freaks (uh)
I witnessed the illumination exciting all the unconventional individuals (expression of surprise)
Stack mad chips, spread love with my peeps
Accumulate a significant amount of money, show love and support to my close friends
Niggas wanna creep, got to watch my back
Individuals want to sneak up on me, therefore I must be vigilant
Think the Cognac and Indo sack make me slack?
Believe that consuming Cognac and marijuana will make me lethargic?
I switches all that, cocksucker G's up (uh)
I change my approach, raising the stakes and showing my superiority (expression of surprise)
One false move, get Swiss cheesed up
If someone makes a wrong move, they will be riddled with bullet holes like Swiss cheese
Clip to TEC, respect, I demand it
Attach a full ammunition magazine to the TEC-9 firearm, I command and deserve respect
Slip and break the 11th Commandment
Make a mistake and violate an imaginary additional commandment
Thou shalt not fuck with nor see Poppa
Do not dare to confront or encounter Poppa
Feel a thousand deaths when I drop ya (uh)
Experience immense fear and anxiety when I defeat and eliminate you (expression of surprise)
I feel for you, like Chaka Khan I'm the don
I sympathize with you, just like Chaka Khan, I'm the leader and authority figure
Pussy when I want, Rolex on the arm
I possess women at my leisure, wearing a Rolex watch on my wrist
You'll die slow but calm
You will meet a slow, yet peaceful death
Recognize my face (uh), so there won't be no mistake
Acknowledge and remember my appearance, to avoid any misunderstandings
So you know where to tell Jake, lame nigga
So you can inform the police where I am, you foolish individual
Brave nigga, turned front page nigga
Courageous individual, became the headline news
Puff Daddy flips daily (uh)
Puff Daddy (Diddy) constantly changes and adapts (expression of surprise)
I smoke the blunts he sips on the Baileys
I consume marijuana cigarettes while he drinks Baileys Irish Cream
On the rocks, tote Glocks at christenings
Carrying handguns in concealed locations, even at religious ceremonies
Hammer cock, in the fire position and, what?
Cocking the hammer of the firearm, ready to fire at any moment, and?
Come here, come here (what?)
Approach me, come here (expression of surprise)
Open your fucking mouth, open your (it ain't gotta be like that B.I.G., oh)
Part your lips, open your (it doesn't have to be this way, B.I.G., oh)
Didn't I tell you don't fuck with me? Huh?
Didn't I warn you not to mess with me? Huh?
Can't talk with a gun in your mouth huh?
You can't speak properly with a gun in your mouth, huh?
Bitch-ass nigga, what? (Get live, motherfuckers)
Pathetic individual, what? (Become lively, my fellow individuals)
(Get live, motherfuckers)
(Become lively, my fellow individuals)
East Coast, motherfuckers
Representing the East Coast, my fellow individuals
West Coast, motherfuckers (us)
Representing the West Coast, my fellow individuals (including myself)
Come here, come here (what?)
Approach me, come here (expression of surprise)
Ready to die, motherfuckers
Prepared to face death, my fellow individuals
As we proceed (who shot ya?)
While we continue (who shot at you?)
To give you what you need
To provide you with what you desire
'95, motherfuckers
In the year 1995, my fellow individuals
East Coast, motherfuckers
Representing the East Coast, my fellow individuals
West Coast, motherfuckers
Representing the West Coast, my fellow individuals
As we proceed (as we proceed)
While we continue (while we continue)
To give you what you need (to give you what you need)
To provide you with what you desire (to provide you with what you desire)
Get live, motherfuckers
Become lively, my fellow individuals
Get high, motherfuckers
Become intoxicated, my fellow individuals
'95, motherfuckers (yeah)
In the year 1995, my fellow individuals (expression of enthusiasm)
J.M., motherfuckers
Representing myself, motherfuckers
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, BMG Rights Management, The Administration MP, Inc., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Sean Combs, Herb Magidson, Nashiem Sa-Allah Myrick, Christopher Wallace, Allie Wrubel
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@wbuccello
My homie just passed a few weeks ago...this was his ringtone. Just had to come here to listen and blow one for my best friend. Love ya dude. I miss you bro
@zlatintv9102
🥺🥺
@onkeladem
F
@kpop_is_shit6412
😢😢
@eddiecobain6758
Im sorry bro,i feel you my bestfriend also passed away stay strong
@wbuccello
@@eddiecobain6758 thank you bro.
@Grimreepa220
One of the coldest beats in hip hop history.
@matthewbarone9088
Imo the best beat in hip hop ever. Truly iconic
@hassandinho1976
Agreed
@xedlo1506
@Anonymous are u stupid? this isnt a diss towards 2pac